In regards to eating meat

[Diana]

Article from the NY Times about the ethical implications of eating peas, given that they can communicate with each other:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201...t-them/?hp

If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them?

Imagine a being capable of processing, remembering and sharing information — a being with potentialities proper to it and inhabiting a world of its own. Given this brief description, most of us will think of a human person, some will associate it with an animal, and virtually no one’s imagination will conjure up a plant.

Since Nov. 2, however, one possible answer to the riddle is Pisumsativum, a species colloquially known as the common pea. On that day, a team of scientists from the Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University in Israel published the results of its peer-reviewed research, revealing that a pea plant subjected to drought conditions communicated its stress to other such plants, with which it shared its soil. In other words, through the roots, it relayed to its neighbors the biochemical message about the onset of drought, prompting them to react as though they, too, were in a similar predicament.

Curiously, having received the signal, plants not directly affected by this particular environmental stress factor were better able to withstand adverse conditions when they actually occurred. This means that the recipients of biochemical communication could draw on their “memories” — information stored at the cellular level — to activate appropriate defenses and adaptive responses when the need arose.

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Should their swift response to stress leave us coldly indifferent, while animal suffering provokes intense feelings of pity and compassion?

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(Rest at link.)

It makes sense that all physical beings have some instinct or reaction to the environment for survival. Water, sun, and soil are essential to plants. This communication between the plants, whether it be analysis or reaction, of a drought would make sense.

However, it has nothing to do with eating the fruit of the plant, which is meant to be spread:

Fruit Production
Depending on the variety, tall climbing peas will begin to produce flowers at 3 to 4 feet tall. Once the flower has been pollinated and died back, a small pea pod will be visible. Pod maturing times vary widely depending on weather and pea variety. Pods that are ready to be picked (if growing regular garden peas, not flat varieties) will swell and have a dark green, glossy pod. For eating, the pods should be picked before the peas inside swell enough to make the pod overly full and hard, as the peas become bitter and hard. Another indication that peas are getting too old is that the pod starts to turn pale, and if left longer, the pod wrinkles as it begins drying out. These wrinkled pods can be left on the plant to dry out. Once the pods are completely dry, remove them from the plant. Shell the semi-dried peas and leave to air dry. Use these peas as seed next season.

http://www.gardenguides.com/125530-life-...plant.html

The pea pods are are meant to be spread from the plant in order to grow again. The pods will dry up and open or fall off the plant so the seeds reach the soil. This is typical of plants: the fruit or seeds of the plant benefit from picked or eaten, in order to spread the seeds. And incidentally, when eaten and excreted, the seeds then are left with fertilizer as well.

By taking the pea pods, one does not kill the plant. The drought would have killed the plant.

This article sensationalizes for dramatic effect, rather than explores a real possibility.